Device attachment



1940- M. M. CLAYTON 2,187,222

DEVICE ATTACHMENT Filed Dec. 3, 1937 1 LA/z 2 H 74W *Mt- 6 5 mgxg/imr v E/Q INVE TOR. MM 7%. I

ATTORNEYSQ UNITED STATES Patented Jan. 1940 PATENT OFFICE 7 DEVICE ATTACHMENT T 7 2 7 Martin M. Clayton, Baden, Pa., assignor to National Electric Products Corporation, a cor- T poration of Delaware Ap plication December 3,1937, Serial No. 177,872

7 T I r A f ac aims orzm-ss) This mvemionmates to amounting attachqment 7 for electrical raceways, channels, receptacles, and other electrical housings and devices.

It has particularly great utility inthejinstalla- 'g tionof that type of elongate, multi-receptacle device known as multiple-outlet duct or *pluginstripi? 7 When multiple outlet duct is installed at or in some sort of wallmolding, such as a baseboard 10 or chair rail, its location with respect to the underlying wall structure is fixed. If then the T T underlying wall structure be impenetrable to 7 screws or nails, or if it be impenetrable in the regions of the duct prepared for thern,; difliculty all isexperiencedin attaching the duct to the underlying wallstructure; The use of screwsor nails ppassedthrough the base wall of the duct channel, or through the'basewall and cover presents T 7 some difiicultyin manipulation, or increases the T 7 complexity of the duct structure. Inthe latter ease, thereis some objectionito the appearance and devices whichpermits mounted attachment of such structures without the use of screws or nails, where mounting of such sort is expedient; and which provides selectivity in the positioning of the actual attaching means on the structure to be mounted whether or no screwsor nails T be employed; 7 l

g In effectingmy purpose I provide a basal wall of the electrical housing or device which is to be mounted with a plurality T Of spaced means T7 for engaging cooperatively withan attaching clip in the formof a resilient mounting plate adapted to be selectively engaged to the spaced engaging means on thebasal wall of the electrical structure; the clip-engaging means on 7 the basal wall of the electrical structure andthe 7 attachingclip being so related to the dimensions oi the basal wall that the clip extends beyond one or more edges of the wall.- Specifically, I so form the resilient mountingplateconstl- V tuting the attachment clip as peculiarly to adapt it to the resilient ,mounting of a structure, to 50 which it-is engaged,7to a wall molding; such as a baseboardbrchair rail,-and to provide for its firm engagement to the basal wall of the'structure in its selected position thereon. 7 p In the accompanying drawing Fig. I is a view showing my mounting attachment applied to a the mounting plate.

ing plate, extended beyond alongitudinal edge 40 channel of the sort suitable for use as an element 2 of a multiple outlet duct housing, the view being taken in front elevation, and illustrating the selectively positioned engagement of the resilient mounting plates of the assembly to the basal 7 wallof the electrical housing.

T Fig. II is a view taken inrear elevation, showing the attachment of one resilient mounting plate to the basal wall of the electrical housing.

Fig. 111 is a longitudinal sectional view 10 through the basal wall of the electrical housing in a region at which a mounting plate is attached to it, the view being taken on the sec tion line III--III of Fig. I. T T

7 mounted to the baseboard and wall surface, withoutthe use of screws or nails, by means of the mountingattachment of my invention and show- .ing cross-sectionally, in broken lines, the channel and a mounting plate heldagainst the well surface in preparation for mounted attachment.

Fig. V is a cross sectional view through a wall structure and an electrical channel element mounted thereon by means of my mounting attachment, the direct attachment to the wa being by means of screws.

Referring to Fig. I of the drawing, the chann element I therein shown is of a shape appro- 3o 7 priate for use of an element of a multiple outlet duct housing. The mounting plate 2 is resili- ,4 and 5 extended beyond the longitudinal edges of the wall. A hole 6, for the passage of a penetrating member such as a screw or nail, is formed in each of the extended portions 4 and 5 of One portion of the mountof the basal wall 3, is as a whole deflected away from the plane of the wall, but has a tip 5a reeral spaced regions to engagement with a. mounting plate of the sort described. The en- T gaging means shownare simple, and are adapted to make a snap engagement with the resilient 7 mounting plate. They each are formedby means of twoadjacent, parallel slits 1 and 8, at one of which the material of the wall 3 is deflected inwardly of the channel to provide an openingla,

and at the other of which the material of the inserted in the opening 7a and the mounting plate is moved horizontally until the base of the tongue contacts the edge of the slit 7. If the mounting plate is slightly forced in this position, its trailing edge snaps into abutment with the shoulder 9a. To remove the mounting plate from engagement with the wall, this edge is lifted sufficiently to ride over the shoulder 8a, and the tongue 9 is withdrawn from opening Ia by horizontal movement of the mount-plate.

If new we consider that channel I may be a number of feet in length, it is a simple matter on-th e-jobto apply clips to it at several longitudinally spaced points, either in conformity to those portions of a wall which are adapted to receive nails or screws, or merely to balance along the channel the points at which it is to beat- =tached.

' Fig. V of the drawing shows the channel I mounted to the surface of a wall I0 by means of screws I I passed through the holes 6 in the portions 4 and 5 of the mounting plate which are extended beyond the longitudinal edges of the basal wall 3 of the channel. In mounting the channel, or other housing structure, in this manner thedeflected portion 5, which extends beyond the edge of basal wall 3, may be forced into approximate alignment with the remainder of the mounting plate by forcing it against the wall H].

In Fig. -IV of the drawing, a side wall of the channel I lies upon the upper edge of a baseboard I2, with the basal wall 3 of the channel against an underlying wall l3. In this sort of mounting the attachment of the channel is by the insertion of its extendedand deflected portion-5 between the opposed surfaces of the baseboard I2 and wall l3. As inserted between two such elements, the deflected portion ofthe mounting plate is placed under compression, and thus locks the channel in its mounted position. De-

sirably, as shown, this deflected portion of the mounting plate lies at a relatively great angle 'to the plane of the basal wall to which the mounting plate is attached, and to the rest of the mounting plate, in order that the advantage of this compression may not be lost when there is an appreciablespace between the opposed surfaces of the wall and the baseboard.- Because of the relatively greatdeflection of one extended portion of the mounting'plate, the reverse deflection at the tip 5aisof advantage in inserting the deflected portionbetween two surfaces which lie clos to each other. I

It will be noted that in the showing of Fig. IV

The other extended portion 4 .has been broken away in order to improve the appearance 'of the duct of which the channel I forms part,

since the duct in this showing forms what is in efiect the trim of the baseboard on which it lies.

. electrical devices, the herein described mounting This extended portion 4 may readily be broken away at the score line l4 (Fig. II), which matches one longitudinal edge of the wall 3. If, however, the baseboard structure comprises a trim adapted to surmount the duct, this projecting portion 4 is preferably allowed to remain part of the mounting plate; because it is in such circumstance concealed, and as it lies between the trim and the wall surface provides additionally against dislodgment of the duct.

'While the mounting attachment of my invention is shown and described as forming part of the channel of a multiple outlet duct, it is to be understood that it is equally applicable to raceways, outlet boxes, receptacles, and other electrical housings and structures having a basal wall to which one or more of the mounting plates may be engaged. In such varied structures the mounting attachment has utility, and provides advantage measurable by the difficulty normally encountered in mounting each particular structure in accordance with previous common prac- I claim as my invention:

'1. In electrical raceways, housings, and like electrical devices the herein described mounting attachment comprising in combination a basal wall forming part of the element to be mounted, said wall having an opening therein and a projection on the said wall spaced from said opening, with a resilient mounting plate at a face of the said wall and having a region thereof extended beyond an edge of the wall and deflected away from the plane of the wall, the said resilient mounting plate having a tongue adapted to enter the said Wall opening to engage the mounting plate to the wall and arranged to lie in assembly in edge abutment with the said Wall projection. I;

2. In electrical raceways, housings, and like electrical devices the herein described mounting attachment comprising in combination a basal wall forming part of the element to be mounted said wall having therein a pair of spaced slots and the body of the-Wall being outwardly de-v formed at one of said slots to form a shoulder, with a mounting plate lying against said wall and having a region extendedbeyond an edge of the wall, said mounting plate having a tongue adapted to enter one of said slots to interlock with the wall and having a snap engagement between that slot and the shoulder formed at the other of said slots.

3. In electrical raceways, housings, and like attachment comprising in combiantion a basal wall forming part of the housing structure to be mounted, said wall having an opening therein, with a resilient removable mounting plate lying flat against a face of -the said wall and arranged to project beyond an edge of the wall, said resilient mounting plate having a member adapted to engage in said wall opening, and additional plate-engaging means in the said wall so positioned with respect to the said wall opening that engagement of the resilient mounting plate simultaneously with both the wallopening and the said additional plate-engaging means is effected by forcing the mounting plate by its resiliency into its fully engaged position on'the said basal wall.

MARTIN M. CLAYTON. 

